Once Upon Water provides an opportunity for me to expand my knowledge of water issues through interaction with an ocean environment. I am particularly interested in life at the edges where I can observe, draw, paint and photograph the transition areas between land and sea where a great diversity of aquatic life is evident and the complex optical phenomena associated with water are most pronounced. I will use the Once Upon Water Residency to produce small-scale site paintings and drawings as well as underwater photography responding in an immediate way to the observed daily experiences of the island and inspired by the opportunities of the residency.
The imagery I use is derived from observing, drawing and photographing wetland areas and water surfaces. Visually, these liquid spaces, whether below or above the water surface, provide a continually changing source of optical information connected with repetition and pattern suggesting endless permutations. The fluid surface is both recognizable and abstract inviting a broad range of associations. My work strives to raise awareness of water in all of its capacities. I consistently practice and promote environmentally responsible materials and approaches in my work.
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Judy Major-Girardin is a Canadian artist who received her BFA from the University of Windsor in Ontario and her MFA from the University of Alabama. She teaches in the School of the Arts at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group exhibitions throughout Canada and the U.S.A. including shows in New York, Georgia, Alabama, South Dakota, Ohio, Illinois, California, Ontario, Quebec, British Colombia, Nova Scotia and the Yukon. Her work has been included in exhibitions abroad in Japan, Taiwan and New Zealand. Judy has participated in artist residencies in Newfoundland, Quebec, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania and Alabama. She is currently working towards a solo exhibition to be held at the Nathaniel Hughson Gallery in Hamilton in March 2017.